The BATCOPTER’s 50th Anniversary

It’s not just the 50th anniversary of the Batman ’66 movie — it’s the anniversary of a very special flying machine!

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It’s BATMAN ’66 MOVIE WEEKEND! For the full INDEX of stories, click here.

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So I pick up the phone this morning and I call Eugene Nock, the owner and pilot of the original 1966 Batcopter, which was first seen on screen in the Batman ’66 movie 50 years ago today — July 30, 1966.

I figured I was gonna dazzle him with my Batknowledge and the conversation went something like this:

Capt. Nock at the controls. And no, we weren’t talking when this picture was taken.

Dan: So, do you know what today is?

Eugene: Yeah, it’s the 50th anniversary of the 1966 movie premiere.

That, Batfans, is commitment.

Eugene Nock and his family troupe of flying Nocks love their Batcopter — serial no. N3079G — and love their Batlore. Right now, they’re at a big aircraft event — EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisc., and guess who Eugene ran into while he was there:

Nock, some bearded guy, Wayne Boggs. Via Nock’s Facebook page.

Now, the Batcopter is on its summer tour and I’m going to be paying it a visit at buddy Cliff Galbraith’s Monsters and Robots show in Somerset N.J.8/27 and 8/28. It won’t be flying but you’ll be able to get up close and personal with Batman’s greatest flying machine. (Click here for info.)

Here’s where else it’ll be in the months ahead. When rides are offered, it’s $50 per person, per ride. It’s worth every minute and every penny. I’ve ridden in it and if you want to know what it’s like — and you do — click here.